Improvement in ice-caskets



NITED` STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH G. STEWART AND ALMARINE A. GWALTNEY, OF BALTIMORE, MD.

IMPROVEMENT IN ICE-GASKETS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,228, dated October10, 1876; application led June l2, 1876.

to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

Our improvements in ice-caskets consist, first, in making the saine infour sections; second, in making the cooling-board in sectionsconsisting of several ice-boxes, all of which will be fully explained inthe following speciiication.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a top view of our improvedice-casket. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig.3 is a detached view, and Fig. 4 is a funnel for filling the broken iceinto the boxes.

Our improved ice-casket is made in four sections, A, B, C, and D, asshown in Fig. 2. The top section A is attached by screws, and removablein the usual manner. The bottom D is also fastened by screws, and may beremoved and replaced when swollen by wet or cracked and injured, so asnot to be longer serviceable. This is an important practical matter,because ice-caskets generally become worthless by rst cracking orwarping of the bottom by wet, and consequently must be thrown aside; butin our invention the lower section D may be removed and replaced by anew piece, and thus the casket is cheaply repaired. The third section,C, is a little higher than the cooling-board or ice-boxes E F G, whichwill soon be described, and by the removal o f the section B the bodymay be put in place without difficulty; and in many cases, as in yellowfever, it is difficult, if not impossible, to lay the body into thecasket without dropping the head or limbs; but with the section Bremoved the main difficulty disappears. Our coolingboard consists ofseveral sections, E F G, with central divisions e f g, and with covers,as seen in Fig. 2. These boxes are to be filled out-ofdoors, and thenbrought into the house after the two lower sections C and D have beenplaced in position. on short legsor feet, so as to keep them above thedrip.v The side and head ice-boxes H I K are to be set in place afterthe corpse is in position. A strip, L, on the underside of the cover ortop section A has a facing of cloth, and tits closely down on theseice-boxes, and thus closes their openings at top, as seen in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of refilling these boxes without removing the cover A,and thus allowing odor to escape, we have made holes M, with suitableplugs N, which may be taken out and a funnel, O, Fig. 4, inserted forfilling in the broken ice. We propose in a full-sized casket to makethese holes M large and rectangular, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l,and then have a funnel with an angular spout to tit, thus giving plentyof room. These holes are lined with zinc or other metal, P, Fig. 3, soas to avoid wetting the wood or cover.

Having described our invention, we claim- 1. An ice-casket having thefour sections A,

B, C, and D, the section O being made sepa-v rate and removable from thebottom D, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A cooling-board consisting otl several sections, E F G, the samebeing ice-boxes, substantially as specied.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affix oursignatures vin presence of two Witnesses.

"Y HUGH G. STEWART.

ALMARINE A. GWALTNEY.

Witnesses DANIEL BREED, FRED. G. DLETERIGH.

The boxes are supported4

